An Unwelcome Shoulder Pat

By Daniel Akst

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Is a shoulder pat a welcome gesture?

Touching somebody in the right way—a pat on the arm during conversation, for example—has long been known to help make friends and influence people. But a new paper describes two new studies in which a pat on the shoulder proved counterproductive.

In one study, participants competed against partners in a maze challenge and then played a game that involved allocating prize points to their former adversary. Those who’d been patted by their opponent were less generous with points (which could be used toward a movie ticket). A second study, involving a puzzle, found that those forced to compete in solving it were less generous donating points after the shoulder-patting than those who weren’t touched. But participants who were told to cooperate in solving the puzzle were more generous after being patted.

The researchers suspect the participants in the competitive situation felt the shoulder patting as a sign of dominance. In effect, it touched a raw nerve.